Traders demand official timelines for kinnow, mango exports

KARACHI: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) should approve and notify the official timelines for kinnow and mango exports, so that traders could have a clear idea as to when to schedule their shipments, an industry official said on Monday.

Last month the ECC in a meeting at Cabinet Division had constituted a committee comprising Commerce and Food Security officials to decide a timeline for the exports of both fruits after due consultation with the stakeholders.

“Previously the kinnow exports used to start from December 1 and on yearly basis contributed around $250 million to the national exchequer,” said Ahmad Jawad, Chairman FPCCI Standing Committee on Horticulture Exports in a statement.

“Similarly rates for farmers used to be around Rs1000/maund (40kg) -subject to quality.” This year, the kinnow exports were estimated to be around $220 million dollars, Jawad said, adding that this year Pakistan harvested a good crop due to timely and effective rains.

He said the export would continue till 1st week of April, while major destinations would be Middle East, Russia, Ukraine, Srilanaka , Afghanistan, and China. Jawad said presently, as the demand for the Vitamin C rich citrus fruit was increasing in the international markets due to coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan was unable to exploit this opportunity to its advantage despite being a prominent producer.

“It is ironic that Punjab, a hub of kinnow production, could not draw the provincial government’s attention [towards the problems], while the federal government also continues to ignore the longstanding issues being faced by the kinnow industry,” he stated, lamenting the association has been continuously raising this issue with the authorities, but to no avail.

As per the documents, Pakistan’s kinnow industry is worth around Rs125 billion; the entire economy of Bhalwal and Sargodha depends on it, while about 250 processing factories located in Punjab are providing direct employment to 2.5 million people.

Jawad also demanded of the Railway Ministry to introduce a refrigerated train to facilitate exports of kinnow. “The railways should run a ‘Kisan Express’ between Bhalwal, Sargodha and Karachi with competitive freight rates.”

He said due to the scarcity of refrigerated containers in kinnow season, farmers were forced to book those with inadequate facilities, which usually resulted in damages if the perishable consignments could not be shipped in time for any reason.